LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sunday

Jan 14, 2001 at 12:01 AM

Unhappy 'targets'

We once lived in a quiet, older neighborhood. New housing developments came in off Willis Road, along with the Westside Club, and our street, Hadden Heights Road, became a cut-through. The traffic flow and the litter increased.

Enter the construction of a Target store. Early on, we were told there would be minimal dust because water trucks would be running. But our house is no longer white, and our floors, furniture, windows and automobiles are impossible to keep clean. The water trucks were a joke. At one point, there was one being filled with a garden hose! We were assured the traffic volume would not increase. We knew it would. It did. We have gawkers up and down the street wanting to see what's going on. We still have the cut-though traffic along with all the construction equipment. There's little observance of the speed limit on our street, if any at all. Those who drive the heavy equipment know they are driving heavy equipment and will run you off the road. The dust, the traffic and the lights from construction trailers and equipment used at night do not put the icing on this bitter cake, but the arrival of tractor-trailers between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 3:30 a.m. does. Tractor-trailers parked in front of our drive and down toward Highway 29 with their engines running and our house vibrating make for a night of unrest. Where once stood homes with neighbors, beautiful old oak, magnolia and maple trees and the ability to see the sunrise outside our window now stand construction trailers, port-a-potties and a gray cinder block building. We're told we haven't even had a taste of what's to be. The lights. The traffic. The litter. And we guess we're supposed to be happy to have been "Target-ed." Bobby and Libby Wilder Spartanburg

Shallow and petty The attitudes and actions of the NAACP the past couple of years are enough to make Martin Luther King roll over in his grave. It has gone from advocating noble causes to being downright petty. Slavery was an atrocity. Many slaves, however, had it better in many ways than most Caucasians during those days. Many were better fed and clothed than much of the white population. The majority of South Carolina's white population, including my ancestors, were oppressed due to Northern politics that hindered economic growth and development in the South. These people did not profit from slavery. They thought it was wrong. They were forced, however, to defend their homeland. Our fine state had a moral and legal right to secede from the Union. The Civil War was about the right to end economic oppression. I truly believe slavery would have ended without the Civil War if the North had enabled the South to grow economically. The Confederate flag represents a noble cause. I will never forget the first time I saw it on the Statehouse dome. It made me proud of my state and heritage. The Confederate flag coming off the Statehouse was a compromise. Unfortunately, the NAACP isn't satisfied. It wants the flag banished from the Statehouse grounds. The NAACP should get over it. Its actions are causing division, and it is decreasing its ability to right social ills. The NAACP should strongly advocate equitable justice for minorities, the poor of all races and people of all ages. It should insist that South Carolina stop redundant standardized testing in its schools. It should speak out for health care reform and adequate care for our elderly. The NAACP has too much potential to help society to continue wasting time being shallow and petty. Beverly Plumley Waldrop Landrum

Grateful parents Every community possesses points of excellence that go largely unknown to the general population. Then, something happens that introduces you to these wonderful people and organizations. Such was our recent experience with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. We are the proud parents of identical twin boys born Nov. 9, 2000. After 50 days in the hospital, our boys are home safe and well, thanks to the work of some extraordinary people. During our pregnancy, a complication was identified and monitored. My wife was admitted to SRMC under the watchful eyes of wonderful doctors. It was determined that the boys would have to be delivered immediately by way of an emergency C-section approximately 10 weeks early. It was at that moment that we were introduced to the fine work of the doctors and the nursing and respiratory care staff of the NICU. From birth, our boys received top-notch medical and personal care. An excellent job was done of educating us as to their condition, prognosis and treatment. The doctors' words and actions were very reassuring to a couple of nervous parents. The nurses and respiratory therapists treated our boys with the utmost of care. Also, successful abdominal surgery was performed on one of our boys, just 3 days old (and weighing 2 pounds, 7 ounces). The doctor's steady hands are much appreciated. The folks in the NICU have a slogan: "Our babies are beautiful children." It is because of their work that our family is complete. Each of us should take great pride in the NICU and the staff at Spartanburg Regional. They have touched our lives in a very profound way. They will be ready should you have a similar medical emergency. As a community, we are enriched by their work. We are forever grateful. Mark and Sheila Mitchell Spartanburg

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